Trouble free, most expedient way to 2000 HP engine for 1941

[yulzari]

I don't see any challenge in people making 2-engined fighters, with 1000-1200 HP engines for 1941 - it was done many times.

As the OP says, the most expedient.
Germany had the Fw187
UK the Westland Whirlwind
USA the X5F

 

[tomo pauk]

As the OP says, the most expedient.
Germany had the Fw187
UK the Westland Whirlwind
USA the X5F

Title says '2000 HP engine', not '2000 HP aircraft'.

 

[Zmauky]

Didn't Bramo work on a two-row 18 cylinder, 2000hp model radial before BMW took over ?

 

[Howard Gibson]

As the OP says, the most expedient.
Germany had the Fw187
UK the Westland Whirlwind
USA the X5F

According to Bill Gunston, it took five years to develop functional engines and get them into production. That means your engine goes into development in 1936. Wilth the 2020 vision of hindsight, the people who enlarged otherwise conventional engines (P&W R2800 and RR Griffon) did better than the people who did exotic cylinder layouts like the RR Vulture, Napier Sabre, and the DB 606 and 610.

Then again, it took five to six years to make the Sabre reliable, which is about you would expect, sleeve valves or no sleeve valves. The Merlin its share of troubles, but they started early enough that they were sorted out by the time the war started.